In response to the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission’s 30 morality allegations, the rail Atlanta judge who was detained outside a Buckhead nightclub has lost her job.
Douglas County Probate Judge Christina Peterson, 38, has been fighting , criminal wrongdoing allegations , since she was elected to the chair in an undisputed November 2020 vote. In late March, the JQC’s reading panel , recommended that Peterson been removed from office, citing her” widespread ineptitude”.
The Georgia Supreme Court decided Tuesday that Peterson’s expulsion from the chair is warranted.
We draw the conclusion that removal is the appropriate sanction in light of her numerous violations of the ( judicial code ) rules in relation to a number of matters, some of which reflect a flagrant disregard for the law, court rules, and judicial conduct rules, as well as the pattern of violations that the ( JQC ) director demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence, and the extremely concerning nature of some of those violations, particularly with regard to the criminal contempt matter, and her behavior during the JQC inquiry,” the court said.
The judge’s decision comes just weeks after Peterson was  , arrested at the Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge , shortly after 3 a. m. on Thursday.
The legal fees were not included in the event before the state Supreme Court.
In the May Democratic primary, Douglasville lawyer Valerie Vie, who does not encounter a Republican challenger, had already defeated her in her bid for a second term in office.
Peterson claimed that Atlanta police’s arrest was a” installation” and that she was only attempting to assist a person who was being attacked outside the team. She is charged with power and felony barrier.
Body camera , film of Peterson’s arrest , was released Friday evening by the Atlanta Police Department. It shows Peterson repeatedly yelling “let her ( expletive ) go” at an officer while pushing the officer.
In a statement from the incident, the officer claimed that Peterson punched him in the neck and spine. He claimed that while she was handcuffed, Peterson allegedly swore at him frequently when he inquired about her title and birthdate.
After being released from the Fulton County Jail on a$ 5, 000 relationship Thursday evening, Peterson held a , information seminar at her attorney’s office, where her recollection of events was backed up by two people who said they were involved in the bar event.
Alexandria Love claimed that she was attacked by a stranger while she was awaiting meals outside the team, and that Peterson was the only one to make an effort to assist her right away. Love’s friend, Madison Shannon Kelly, said Peterson did n’t intend to hit the officer.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was requested by Peterson’s attorney to review the situation. He claimed that the allegations are ridiculous and ought to be dropped. Love and Kelly said they did n’t know Peterson before the incident.
Peterson is accused of violating the Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct in a variety of ways in the JQC situation. At one level, she faced 50 separate works, but 20 were withdrawn or dismissed.
Prior to joining the chair, Peterson, a University of Georgia School of Law student, was charged with inappropriate social media posts, inadvertently jailing and fined a woman who wanted to alter her union license, and permitting wedding attendees into Douglas County’s court after hours without authorization. She allegedly had poor contact with a litigant, abused a colleague judge, and allegedly had inappropriate contact with a county official. She was also alleged to have abused a fellow judge and different county officials.
In addition, the commission users criticized Peterson’s behavior as a criminal prospect: she had made ribald jokes in public, allegedly raised money for her day, and promoted activities at Atlanta restaurants in connection with her bid for the 2020 election. They also criticized her for her actions at a homeowners association meeting in 2022, accusing her of mocking some attendees and yelling “petty and satirical retorts” while trying to influence a pending lawsuit she had filed against the organization and its managers.
In its March 31 state Supreme Court statement, the JQC reading board stated,” And so she must go.”
In the ethics event, Peterson’s attorney requested in late April that the court reject the JQC’s “erroneous scientific findings that the records ‘ recommendations for her removal from the bench.
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